Calibration procedures and correction of detector signal relaxations for the CRISTA infrared satellite instrument

Remote sensing from space has become a common method for deriving geophysical parameters such as atmospheric temperature and composition. The Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere (CRISTA) instrument was designed to sound the middle and the upper atmosphere (10-180 km) with high spatial resolution. Atmospheric IR emissions were measured with Si:Ga bulk or Si:As blocked impurity band detectors for a wavelength interval of 4-17 micrometers and Ge:Ga bulk detectors for 56-71 micrometers. An overview of the calibration of the instrument and the correction of detector signal relaxations for the Si:Ga detectors are given, both of which are necessary to provide high-quality IR radiance data as input for the retrieval of atmospheric temperature and trace gas mixing ratios. Laboratory and flight data are shown to demonstrate the quality of the results.